131,948 Shares in Unum Group (NYSE:UNM) Bought by Edgestream Partners L.P.

Edgestream Partners L.P. acquired a new position in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 131,948 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $9,636,000. Unum Group comprises 0.4% of Edgestream Partners L.P.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest position. Edgestream Partners L.P. owned 0.07% of Unum Group at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Barrett & Company Inc. raised its position in shares of Unum Group by 300.0% during the 4th quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 396 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 297 shares in the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in shares of Unum Group during the third quarter valued at $31,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Unum Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. Quarry LP grew its stake in shares of Unum Group by 4,794.7% in the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 930 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $55,000 after buying an additional 911 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its position in shares of Unum Group by 26.4% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 766 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $56,000 after buying an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.57% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Unum Group from $81.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Unum Group from $76.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Unum Group from $95.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. StockNews.com cut Unum Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Unum Group from $80.00 to $84.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $86.62.

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Unum Group Price Performance

UNM stock traded up $1.36 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $78.69. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,618,377 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,151,730. The company's 50 day moving average is $75.67 and its two-hundred day moving average is $68.89. The company has a current ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The stock has a market cap of $13.91 billion, a PE ratio of 8.31, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.74. Unum Group has a fifty-two week low of $48.38 and a fifty-two week high of $83.96.

Unum Group (NYSE:UNM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.14 by ($0.11). Unum Group had a return on equity of 14.91% and a net margin of 13.81%. Equities research analysts expect that Unum Group will post 9.14 EPS for the current year.

Unum Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th were issued a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 24th. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.14%. Unum Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 17.74%.

Unum Group announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, February 18th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the financial services provider to purchase up to 7.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Lisa G. Iglesias sold 7,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.75, for a total transaction of $579,250.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 31,284 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,588,751. This trade represents a 18.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Richard P. Mckenney sold 50,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.99, for a total transaction of $4,099,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 980,637 shares in the company, valued at $80,402,427.63. This trade represents a 4.85 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.93% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Unum Group Company Profile

Unum Group, together with its subsidiaries, provides financial protection benefit solutions primarily in the United States, the United Kingdom, Poland, and internationally. It operates through Unum US, Unum International, Colonial Life, and Closed Block segment. The company offers group long-term and short-term disability, group life, and accidental death and dismemberment products; supplemental and voluntary products, such as individual disability, voluntary benefits, and dental and vision products; and accident, sickness, disability, life, and cancer and critical illness products.